


Pour Out Your Soul

by FaygoMayhem



Series: Sing To Me [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Chill XV, Cor is done, Dancing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Noctis is a little shit, lip syncing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 08:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12700944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaygoMayhem/pseuds/FaygoMayhem
Summary: After coming out in a big way at the Insomnia Lip Sync battle, Ignis is disappointed to find Gladio suddenly distant and shying away from all contact. Is he worried about Ignis making advances on him, or is it something else entirely?





	Pour Out Your Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Halp guys, I can't stop. After the bit of teasing Gladnis I did at the end of Fight With Your Lips I couldn't resist adding a little follow up. These fics are so much fun to write an imagine, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns into a longer series in the future.

Weeks had passed since Ignis had made a giant spectacle of himself in front of an audience of 20,000 people while being filmed for live TV. Though the entire experience had nearly given him a heart-attack, he didn't regret it and was even a little proud of himself for putting everything on the line in order to express who he was.

It helped of course that his friends and the King had been so supportive. Noctis had stayed glued to his side for the first couple of days after everything had happened, as if he was daring anyone to say anything bad about him or his lifestyle choice. It was sweet, and appreciated, but ultimately unnecessary in the long run. He’d started receiving fan letters and gestures of support the very day after the performance and they had continued coming in ever since.

 Heartwarming as it was to have people in his corner, he was quite ready for everything to blow over so he could return to doing his duties without being accosted on the street for autographs and pictures. The others were receiving similar treatment, and security had needed to be increased tenfold to protect the Prince and King from overly enthusiastic fans.

Even with all the fuss they were dealing with in the aftermath, the performance had been well worth all the effort they had all put in, having raised over 1.5 million crowns to aid in the refugee relief efforts. The King’s approval had skyrocketed, and people were no longer claiming that the Crown was ignorant to their struggles. All in all it had been a smashing success in Ignis’ opinion, except for one minor little detail. Since that night, Gladio had been acting rather distant from him.

It wasn't that he disapproved-he’d accepted Ignis’ revelation with open arms and had joined Noctis as an acting bodyguard while they waited for the opinion of the public; but after everything he was no longer so quick to share casual touches and other displays of affection, even going so far as to refrain from close contact training exercises.

Ignis couldn't really blame him for it. Getting hit with the news that his best friend of many years was gay and apparently very attracted to men of a similar physique to his own couldn't have been easy for him, and Gladio had acted quite admirably in the long run. Still, he wouldn't deny that having his closest friend suddenly become adverse to his touch hurt quite a bit.

These days even him walking into a room had Gladio behaving strangely, and Ignis was doing well to hide his disappointment whenever they would lock eyes only to have his friend turn away or leave. Whenever they would brush hands or shoulders accidently the hulking man would comically leap away, as if he were afraid of catching some sort of the disease from the touch. When they passed each other in halls at Citadel, the color would sometimes drain from Gladio’s face and he would turn and swiftly walk the opposite direction. Ignis was trying his best to keep their relationship professional and friendly, but it was growing increasingly difficult as the other man refused to so much as look at him.

The strain on their friendship was beginning to take a toll on Ignis’ health as well. For the longest time Gladio had been the only person capable off dragging the over-worked advisor away from his duties long enough to make sure he was eating and getting proper rest. In his absence, Ignis had been taking more and more work upon himself to try and fill the gaping chasm of loneliness that was usually covered by the shield, to the point where he was starting to regularly reach the point of being about to collapse from exhaustion.

He needed to talk to Gladio, and fast, before things between them could get any more awkward.  Perhaps if he was reassured that Ignis wasn’t going to start making any untoward advances on him now that his secret had been brought to light they could go back to at least some resemblance of what they’d had before. Ignis really, really, missed his friend.

-

After a month, the advisor decided that he’d given Gladio plenty of time and space to come to terms with his feelings about Ignis’ sexual orientation. They couldn’t continue working together if the other man was so uncomfortable in his presence, and Ignis could no longer stand being kept at a distance while still in close quarters. Perhaps it was for the best that they separated from each other as much as possible while still fulfilling their obligations to Noct. They would always be in each other’s orbit, but perhaps the sting of their lost friendship would ease if they didn’t have to continue seeing each other regularly. With a heavy heart, he went to Gladio’s office in the Citadel’s training department at a time he knew that the instructor would be in and knocked on the door.

“Yeah?” a gruff and slightly annoyed voice called from the other side, Gladio no doubt being unused to being disturbed in the time that he usually set aside for writing up evaluations and training schedules for new recruits. Ignis cracked the door and let himself in to stand politely in front of the large wooden desk in the center of the room.

The larger man sat behind it, reclining in his chair and tapping a pen against the corners of his mouth, but abruptly straightened when Ignis walked in, losing the pen on the floor and tugging at the shirt that’d started rising up his stomach as he relaxed. “I-Iggy, what can I do for you?”

The tension in his voice was palpable, and Ignis had to resist the urge to just turn and walk away. This had to be said though, soon enough he would be out of the picture so Gladio could return to being at ease.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, I won’t be long,” Ignis said softly, reaching up to nervously adjust his tie and clearing his throat, “ I know things have gotten rather strained between us, so I just wanted to let you know that I plan on going to the Marshal later to request a different training partner, and will start delegating a different member of the Crownsguard to ferry Noctis to and from his sessions with you so that you no longer have to force yourself to be around me.”

Gladio’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline and his arms pounded the desk in surprise, “I’m sorry, you’re doing what now? Where is this coming from?”

Ignis scoffed sadly and hung his head, “Please Gladio, don’t act as if you haven’t been flinching away from my mere presence since the show. I can understand that you’re uncomfortable, but we can’t continue being so out of sync with each other when tasked with maintaining the safety of the Prince. You no longer want me close to you-and that’s fine- but other arrangements must be made so there aren’t any holes in our defense.”

“Ignis, I…” Gladio cut himself off and shook his head desperately scrambling for his next words, but Ignis jumped in again before he could start explaining.

“Save it, please, I don’t think I could bare to hear the explanation,” Ignis sighed and looked up. Gladio could see moisture brimming in his brilliant green eyes. “It’s been my pleasure working with you, I hope you will find the new accommodations more agreeable. Goodbye, Gladiolus.”

With that Ignis turned and rushed out of the room, unable to bare it any longer. The tears he’d been holding back started falling as he closed the office door and went to make good on his promises.

-

Gladio was a godsdamned idiot. He sat with his mouth dumbly hanging open in shock as Ignis fled sniffling from the room. With a mighty groan he slammed his head down on the desk and started pounding it with his fist so hard the wood started cracking. He’d fucked up.

He’d fucked up _hard_.

He’d let his emotions get the better of him, and with his bumbling actions convinced the person who meant the most to him in the world, save his Prince, that he no longer wanted him around. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He knew he’d been behaving strangely since his friend had come out, but he never realized that actions were being so negatively perceived, though looking back he completely understood where Ignis was coming from. Avoidance, touch aversion, the inability to look him in the eye; of _course_ the incredibly intelligent man would take it all as homophobia, though that wasn’t it at all.

Gladio wasn’t an asshole…..ok, maybe he was, but not _that_ _kind_ of asshole. He didn’t care where Ignis stuck his dick as long as it was all safe, legal, and consensual. The fact that he preferred having sex with other men really didn’t matter to him at all.

No, that was a lie.

He very much cared where Ignis stuck his dick, but that was only because in the past weeks he’d been slowly realizing that he very much wanted that place to be either next to, or inside of, himself. The reason he’d been acting so weird was because he’d fallen, hard, for his best friend.

He couldn’t look at his face because he kept getting distracted by the shine of his eyes and perfect curve of his lips, couldn’t train with him properly because every time they touched a fire would ignite under Gladio’s skin that made him tingle all over, and couldn’t see Ignis in one of his formal suits without wanting to rip it off him and see if he actually kept that harness on regularly.

He was completely, utterly, smitten; and because he’d been too much of a chickenshit to say anything he’d just ruined _everything_.

He tore at his own hair and continued pulverizing the desk as he agonized over how to fix his mess. Slowly, a plan started formulating. If he couldn’t talk to Ignis about how he felt, maybe he could do it another way. Maybe he could do it the same way Ignis’ had expressed himself to them. That was kinda poetic, Gladio thought. Fumbling around frantically in his pockets he swallowed his pride and called Noctis to beg him for help, thinking that he might be the only other person who could dig him out of this hole since he probably knew Ignis the best out of all of them.

 

-

It had taken an almost unreasonable amount of groveling to get Noctis to help him with his plan, and he’d had to agree to all sorts of nonsense- like promising to carry him around on back when he decided that he was too tired to walk and wear a pair of pink sweatpants with the word ‘juicy’ embossed on the ass to every one of his training sessions for at least a week; but he’d finally agreed to help him out.

Less than a week after Ignis had come to him everything was put together. He’d convinced Cor to delay the transfer request until he had a chance to fix things, but he was still being completely avoided by the other man and had to use Noctis to get him into position. He paced nervously behind the curtain of the makeshift stage they had set up in the training hall and worried his lip.

Noctis had called Ignis just a few minutes ago begging him to retrieve something from the locker room that was, ‘personal’ and ‘highly confidential’ that he ‘only trusted Ignis to get without looking’. He had to hand it to the kid, he was a quick thinker when he cared to put his mind to it.

He busied himself checking the stereo, his costume, the lights, everything he could get his hands on until he heard the sharp clicking of Ignis’ dress shoes on the wooden floor. He crossed the room, clearly confused by the set up until Noctis poked his head out from behind the curtain.

“Sit down Specs,” he commanded, nodding to a single chair at the front of the stage.

“Noctis what in the world is going on?” Ignis asked irritably, unamused at being pulled away from his work for childish games.

“Gladio has something he wants to say to you, so just sit and listen. Then you can go back to whatever bit of boring busywork you were doing before,” Noctis scoffed, pulling his head back.

“Listen, Noctis, I know the transition of Gladio and I no longer working together is going to be hard for you, but there’s no need to force him into anything he doesn’t want to do. This is for the best,” Ignis sighed softly, turning to leave.

Noctis poked his head back out and angrily called for him to stop in his most authoritative tone, “No, you listen Ignis. I’m not forcing either of you to do anything, but it _is_ kind of important to me that you two get this shit worked out between you. You’re both my friends and it really sucks seeing you both unhappy. Gladio has something important to tell you, so the least you can do is hear him out before making any more stupid decisions.”

Ignis’ shoulders slumped and he slowly walked over to the chair and sat down, crossing his legs in front of him. Noctis was right, it was the least he could do, and he’d been positively aching with the hole Gladio had left in his heart. The lights in the hall dimmed and the curtain opened to reveal Noctis and Prompto dressed in matching white tuxedoes standing behind microphones planted at the sides of the stage. A vacant microphone was between them in the center and at the edge. They both raised their arms in the air in unison as music started playing.

_I’d go anywhere for you,_

_Anywhere you asked me to_

_I’d do anything for you,_

_Anything you want me to_

 

They started mouthing the words as smoke billowed onto the stage from a machine they’d picked up a party store. Swaying from side to side they point over at Ignis as Gladio takes the stage in a tuxedo that matches Noctis and Prompto, with a rose in his lapel and a white top hat on his head.

_I’d walk halfway around the world_

_For just one kiss from you_

_Far beyond the call of love_

_The sun, the stars, the moon_

_As long as your love’s there to lead me_

_I won’t lose my way, believe me_

_Even through the darkest night you know_

He spins out onto the stage and walks forward to take his microphone, smiling shyly down at Ignis who seems flustered by what’s going on. As earnest as he can be, he starts mouthing the words to the song. Iris had picked it again because Gladio really didn’t know much about sappy romantic music. He just really hoped Ignis would understand him.

_I’d go anywhere for you_

_Anywhere you asked me to_

_I’d do anything for you_

_Anything you want me to_

_Your love, as far as I can see_

_Is all I’m ever gonna need_

_There’s one thing for sure I know it’s true_

_Baby, I’d go anywhere for you_

The three of them sway and gesture at Ignis in unison, smiling brightly. Ignis covers his face with one of his hands and peeks out from between his fingers.

_I used to think that dreams were just_

_For sentimental fools_

_And I’d never find someone_

_Who’d give their love so true_

_But I knew the very minute_

_I couldn’t live my life without you in it_

_Now I want the whole wide world to know_

Gladio hops off the stage and walks down so he sing to Ignis more closely. He looks him straight in the eye, begging his forgiveness as he expresses his true feelings.  

_I’d go anywhere for you,_

_Anywhere you asked me to_

_I’d do anything for you,_

_Anything you want me to_

_Your love, as far as I can see_

_Is all I’m ever gonna need_

_There’s one thing for sure I know it’s true_

_Baby, I’d go anywhere for you_

Noctis and Prompto continue to sway and mouth along as Gladio bows to Ignis and extends a hand out in invitation. Ignis smiles at him and takes it, rising to his feet and stepping into his hulking frame. Gladio wraps his other arm around his waist, holding him close as he starts rocking them slowly.

_Hey baby, Hey baby, Hey baby_

_Na-ooooooo_

_Hey baby, Hey Baby_

As the song picks up Gladio waltzes Ignis around the room, spinning him around and then back into his arms. Ignis smiles brightly up at him and wraps his arms around his neck.

_I’d go anywhere for you,_

_Anywhere you asked me to_

_I’d do anything for you,_

_Anything you want me to_

_Your love, as far as I can see_

_Is all I’m ever gonna need_

_There’s one thing for sure I know it’s true_

_Baby, I’d go anywhere for you_

 

Gladio mouths the words into Ignis’ ear as they slow back down and sway together in short movements. When the song ends Gladio tips the smaller man’s chin up and pulls back so he can look him in the eye.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

 

Instead of saying anything Ignis pulls his head down and presses their lips together sweetly. Gladio pulls him closer with a satisfied noise as long arms slide back around his neck. They kiss until Noctis and Prompto start clapping then Ignis pulls back, embarrassed.

 

Gladio hugs him tight and mumbles into his hair, “So does this mean that you maybe like me back?”

 

“Oh Gladio, what I am going to do with you?” Ignis smiles into his chest as the other two boys scamper off stage, giving them some privacy.

 

“I dunno, but you can start by kissing me again,” Gladio’s eyes slide shut as Ignis captures his lips again and they sway around the room to no music.

 

 They’re kicked out later by a grumpy Cor, who is more than done with this stupid lip sync shit.

**Author's Note:**

> [Anywhere For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci8MvjAxx3Y)-The Backstreet Boys
> 
> I might play around with taking requests, so if there's a song you'd like to see performed feel free to drop it in the comments below, though I make no promises. Thanks for reading!


End file.
